New PHS athletic trainer has history in pro sports

By JESSICA THORNTON Special Projects Writer

Published 7:00 am, Sunday, August 28, 2011

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New PHS athletic trainer Valerie Duran, seen her talking to veteran assistant coach Neil Billingsley on the sidelines at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium, formerly worked for an indoor football team in Alaska as well as the Fort Worth Cats baseball team. less

New PHS athletic trainer Valerie Duran, seen her talking to veteran assistant coach Neil Billingsley on the sidelines at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium, formerly worked for an indoor football team in ... more

New PHS athletic trainer has history in pro sports

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Athletic training wasn't Valerie Duran's first career choice, but something on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Duran is the new head athletic trainer for Plainview High School after spending the past four years in Fairbanks, Alaska, being the athletic trainer for the city's Indoor Football League team, the Grizzlies.

Duran graduated from Crane High School south of Odessa where she played volleyball, basketball and softball. During that time she underwent three shoulder surgeries and knee surgery, which helps her empathize with athletes in her present position.

She attended Odessa College and studied music, which she thought was a good choice because she was good at it. But after a year of observation with the athletic trainer Duran figured out that music wasn't where she was supposed to spend the rest of her life.

As a result she transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington and changed her major to athletic training.

In addition to four years of college, she has to log continuing education hours to maintain her national and Texas athletic training license.

"Just to make sure we are up to date on all the latest research," she said.

Not only has Duran has worked with a pro football team, but also professional baseball. She specialized in pro baseball in college, and her first job was with the Forth Worth Cats, which at the time was a minor league team for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I was trained to do pro baseball," she said.

While in Alaska, Duran was only able to see her family once or twice a year.

"I was missing everything," she said.

She enjoys being back on the South Plains and being closer to her family, and she hopes one day to settle down, get married and have children of her own.

"You can't have a relationship and be in pro football nine months out of the year," she said.

Duran takes over the head athletic training position from Paul Fikes, who left PHS to teach at Wayland.

Being a female in charge around so many males is not new to Duran, nor does it scare her in any way, especially when it comes to the football team.

"I had zero problems being able to communicate with coaches and players," she said.

Duran said having a great coaching staff and players has been amazing, and they are easy to work with.

Something else Duran said she appreciates is the amazing team of 15 student athletic trainers working under her.

"Those kids absolutely amaze me, and they do it for nothing," she said.

Duran divides the student trainers for every sporting event: 10 are with her at varsity football games while the other five are "off-site" or handling other sporting events. Duran and the associate athletic trainer, Matt Price, also split assignments, except when it comes to varsity football.

"Because football is a collision sport, I'm required to be at all varsity practices and games," she said.

Duran is no stranger to dealing with parents who worry about their injured child. She said it is vital to know your stuff.

"When you know what you are talking about and can tell the parents exactly what is going on, then they respect you more for it," she said.

Just like with every career, athletic training does have its downside, Duran pointed out.

"I hate having to tell an athlete they are done, whether it's for the game, season or career," she said.

Duran is enjoying being in Plainview, not only because it is closer to her family, but because to her it's just the right size.

"Definitely smaller than Fairbanks," she said, "but bigger than what I grew up in."